Harry Maguire left frustrated as decision made on his Greece cop assault case
Harry Maguire's bid to finally clear his name over a brawl in Mykonos is set for another delay due to a lawyers’ strike in Greece.
Maguire was arrested and later found guilty of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and attempted bribery while on holiday in August 2020. The 30-year-old Manchester United defender was handed a 21-month suspended sentence for his involvement in the fight outside a bar.
He appealed the verdict, which nullified the conviction under Greek law, but has been awaiting a hearing on the neighbouring island of Syros ever since. The England international was hoping to clear his name and finally draw a line under the incident on Wednesday, but his hearing before an appeals court judge has been pushed back.
“The case is going to be adjourned,” the prosecution lawyer Yannis Paradisis told the Guardian. “The strike has meant court proceedings cannot take place. We will be given a new date by the judge tomorrow.”
Paradisis, who represents two of the three policemen who claim Maguire kicked and punched them, added: “They are professionals and they know that justice [in this country] can take a long time.” It has now been 42 months since the brawl which landed Maguire in trouble. When the hearing does take place, Maguire won’t have to attend in person – instead he would give evidence via videolink.
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“At this rate Maguire may have retired from professional football when he receives a summons,” a court official at the Syros tribunal told the Guardian. “After eight years the statute of limitations kicks in. If the case hasn’t been heard by then it will be written off.”
Mirror Football have contacted Maguire’s representatives to request comment. It is not the first time his case has been shelved, with the same thing happening in May after his lawyer, Alexis Anagnostakis, was unavailable due to a scheduling conflict.
Harry Maguire was on holiday with his now wife Fern Hawkins when the incident happened in Mykonos (_fernhawkins/Instagram)
He's been trying to clear his name ever since (AFP via Getty Images)The incident happened when Maguire was on holiday with a group of family and friends which included his wife Fern Hawkins, his sister, Daisy, and his brother Joe. He claims that the altercation started outside the Bonbonniere bar after Daisy was injected with an unknown substance by two strangers.
He alleges that, despite wanting to take her to a hospital, he was taken to a police station where he was beaten. Worried he was part of a kidnap attempt, Maguire attempted to flee the scene. “Some people will believe me, some people won’t,” he told The Times in November 2022. “But one thing I would say about Mykonos is that I have no regrets.
“I don’t worry about what the outcome is going to be. I don’t worry about anything to do with it because my conscience is so clear about what happened that night. The people who were there that night, there were nine of us, we all understand what went on and what happened.”
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